Now I know many who are committed to their cultural stories sometimes get angry when someone disputes what they believe. Recently, I had a person question my philosophy, quoting their scripture as if God had personally instructed them in what is right and what is wrong. The person even asked me if I knew and, if so, what my source was. I told them it was internal and that most people knew right from wrong the same way most people know hot from cold, in from out and up from down. This, of course, did not satisfy them and they continued to quote scripture as if this was their only source of information. When they were complete, I asked them if they could rephrase their thought into their own words. They struggled with this because real answers come from within and never need to make someone else wrong so you can be right.
On Faith: What kind of God do you come from?
Last week, in my Sunday message, I urged my congregation to understand Jesus' words in the Lord's Prayer in Aramaic. The first word is not Our Father, but translates more along the lines of "that which starts, sustains, and completes all of life." I then suggested that many people suffer from incompletes because many experience just the endings of things without a sense of completion. I offered examples such as divorce, job loss, or unexpected changes in one's health. I urged each person to think of something that ended and left them in limbo. I then suggested that they use the word complete when thinking about their example. For instance, "My marriage did not end, it completed itself." "My job did not end, it completed itself."
Most everyone got the message and many shared afterward that they felt a huge sense of relief by being able to let go of the limbo and allow for completion. Such is the nature of that internal quality of Spirit trying to communicate the love it has for you. Such is the nature of a God that is forgiving, nonjudgmental and available to all who take the time to meditate, pray and observe the blessings they have been given.
Deepen your knowledge and expand your experience of how God lives in your heart. As you listen to that still small voice decide for yourself the kind of God you will come from. In the long run, this is one of the most important ideas you will form.
DR. JIM TURRELL is the founder and pastor of the Center for Spiritual Living Newport-Mesa.
